Hey there, Lyric Arts fans! Let's have a little chit-chat about what's been going on this week.
First and foremost, I GOT TO GO GET COFFEE TODAY! It was only one cup, but if I were to look back on this internship, and I hadn't gotten my boss a Cuppa' Joe, it would have felt... hollow, somehow. Like I didn't really earn it.

It was a quiet week at Lyric Arts, and most of the stuff that we’ve done has kind of been on the down-low. I’ve been doing my normal assortment of facebook, writing, and production-related tasks, which I’ve talked about to death on this blog, so I’m pretty okay with omitting it this week. We gave our aisle handrails a fresh coat of paint this Wednesday to get the theater space ready for our upcoming season. I also scraped some wallpaper off of something in the lobby. I had never even noticed it before they told me to get rid of it, so you should buy a ticket and scrounge every inch of the lobby to see if you can notice what I did! It was some stubborn wallpaper, though; I had to commandeer a steamer from the costume shop to get the last of it off.

In other news, the office smells DELICIOUS right now. Brian found some time between meetings out of town to pop by a local bakery and bring us all some artisanal breads. Since I can eat a loaf of fresh sourdough like a normal person eats a candy bar, I was more than eager to pounce on that awesome deal.

Sharon is diligently working on sorting out our phone situation, talking to telecom companies about some potential ways we could streamline communication here in the office, what with all the new hands coming in to the company soon. From what I've gathered from sitting next to her, it sounds like some of the details are beginning to come into focus, so we should have a definite plan in the near future.

The box office is doing pretty well, from what I’ve seen of it. Last time I checked in with Matt, Hormel Girls was already almost a quarter of the way sold out, which is nuts for a play that far out! Laramie is doing well at the box office too, but nothing gets us Minnesotans excited like SPAM (Except for Prince, maybe…).

Other than that, this week was almost entirely dedicated to wrapping up my myriad projects, and making sure that there were no loose ends that the staff would have to deal with once I’m gone. I completed next year’s press releases (save for one that simply needs a quote from the director), We’re on almost every online calendar in the metro area, and I’ve gotten every little marketing task I’ve been allotted all sorted out and put into its proper place. My folder is organized almost as well as the Riverfest bin, albeit with far more useful data. I’ve removed all of the post it notes from my computer monitor, and all my cameras and sound recorders are put away, ready for future use. All that’s left is to say goodbye.

For starters, let me just say that this Summer has been awesome. I am not an outgoing person by nature. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a dirty liar, and you should never trust them about anything. I’m like an emotional crustacean; you have to shatter my metaphorical exoskeleton with a metaphorical hammer before I’ll open up to you, and even then, there’s not too much meat inside. In other words, it really takes something special to make me feel at home.

Lyric Arts is special. Everyone here is special. Our whole community is special. You - yes, I mean YOU - reading this post, YOU are special. Even if I've never met you in person, I know that you're part of what makes Lyric Arts as amazing as it is.

All of you have made my time here some of the most fun months I’ve ever had, and I’ve grown more as a person this Summer than I could have at any number of college classes, both professionally as well as personally. And I only had to run and get coffee once! I’m so thankful that I got to be a part of this enterprise, even for this short of a time, and I’d like to think that I’ve made quite a few friends along the way.

I’m not gone for good; I’m still going to be coming to shows when I can make it back to the area, and I’ll be checking in with the staff here whenever I do. And whatever I end up doing next summer is going to have to be pretty stellarto even come close to Lyric Arts.

Well, I think that's about it. I'm going to go say my goodbyes to the staff and ride off into the sunset.

We met Emily and Monica Swinney after a performance of Wait Until Dark and we were struck by their story as a military family. They had planned as a family to attend Christmas in the Airwaves t Lyric Arts in December 2015 ut were left with one empty seat when Adam was unexpectedly called away to serve.

This year, they had hoped he would be home to see Christmas Story, ut unfortunately, he is currently serving in Iraq. Emily and Monica plan to attend the show on closing weekend. So, we wanted to take a moment to tell their story in recognition of all that military families do in service of our country. Here is their story.

As the holiday season begins, we wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all those who are giving to Lyric Arts by volunteering their time. We have a very busy season with two holiday shows and we asked Gina Sauer to share her thoughts about our volunteers as well as what are needs at this December.

It is that time of year when we come to you and ask for your support through individual donations. Give to the Max Day 2016 is coming up this week (Thursday, Nov. 17) and we are asking all of you to help us rally support to help achieve our goals!

This year, we are celebrating our 21st season and as you may have read already in our blog entitled #LyricArtsIsLegal, we are growing fast and we need the funds to keep pace with that growth.

Therefore, we thought it would be fun to center our fundraising campaign goals around the number 21. We have sent some big goals for our year-end fundraising campaign but we are confident that the love and passion for our theater runs deep and that our supporters will heed the call and rise to the challenge.

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." But wait! A mouse is stirring, because Santa missed his house last year. Before you can say "Merry Christmas!” we're off on a wild adventure involving a mouse, an elf, and a spunky little girl who just won't take no for an answer.

Lyric Arts has turned 21, we have now reached “adulthood” and we are officially legal.

“Saying, ‘We’ve turned 21, so now we are legal,’ started as a joke amongst staff members. But, it has really struck a chord with our community of artists and audiences because, in some ways, it is a really accurate description of where we are as a theater company. Lyric Arts has come out of its adolescence and is beginning the next step in its development. It’s our early adulthood,” says Laura Tahja Johnson, Lyric Arts’ Executive and Artistic Director.

Humorist Jean Shepherd's memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher, and even Santa Claus himself, at Higbee's Department Store. The consistent response: "You'll shoot your eye out!"

REVIEW: Cherry and Spoon recently visited Lyric Arts to see Always... Patsy Cline. Here is what she had to say: "The new production at Lyric Arts in Anoka is perfectly cast, full of heart, and highly entertaining for anyone whose ever heard Patsy's music, and let's face it - who hasn't?"

Find out what else Cherry and Spoon thought of the show and watch a video featuring Gracie Anderson and Catherine Battocletti talking about "Capturing Cline."

In just over a week, Gracie Anderson will take the stage as Patsy Cline in Always... Patsy Cline opening Friday, October 14. It will be the sounds of Gracie's voice that fills the stage and brings audiences back in time to reminisce about how these Patsy Cline classics came to life.

We invite you to take a look at a top ten list of Patsy Cline songs and tell us your favorite. And to get you started on that journey down memory, please watch our video with Lyric Arts alum, Kate Beahan singing a beautiful medley.

Lyric Arts

Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, located in the heart of historic downtown Anoka, offers a full season of live theater (including musicals, dramas, comedies, and children’s productions) and intimate live music events as part of their “Music in the ‘Burbs” Concert Series.

The Main Street Stage (formerly the Anoka Cinema Building) was fully renovated in 2001 and features free parking, a warm and welcoming environment, and a cozy 228-seat bowl-style theater with comfortable stadium seating—there isn’t a bad seat in the house!

Lyric Arts’ lobby boasts a concession stand and bar, serving wine, beer, candy, soft drinks, fresh-popped popcorn, Caribou Coffee, and other hot beverages, all of which you can take right into the theater with you.